Bed attachment.



A. L. LIGHTNER.

BED ATTACHMENT. AHLIOATION FILED AUG. 20, 1010.

Patented Apr. 18, 1911.

a sums-sum 1.

A. L. LIGHTNER.

BED ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 80, 1910.

Patented Apr. 18, 1911,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ALFRED LUTHER LIGHTNER, OF SALTILLO, PENNSYLVANIA.

BED ATTACHMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 18, 1911.

Application filed August 20, 1910. Serial No. 578,167.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED L. LIGHTNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Saltillo, in the county of Huntingdon and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bed Attachments, of which the following is a speci fication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to table attachments for beds and has for its object to provide a very simple and novel device of this character which may be easily and quickly attached to the ordinary iron bed and may be disposed beneath the same when not in use.

Another object resides in the provision of a table attachment wherein new and novel means are employed for mounting the table upon the supporting standard whereby the same may be moved relatively thereto when the attachment is arranged beneath the bed so that the table will be disposed entirely out of the way.

A further object is to provide a clamping member adapted for attachment to the side rail of a bed, and means for securing the table standard to said member, said standard being pivotally mounted and adapted to be easily and quickly secured in its operative and inoperative positions.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel features of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation illustrating the application of my improved attachment; Fig. 2 is an enlarged section of the table; Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the attaching clamp; Fig. 4c is a vertical section taken on the line 4=4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail perspective view of the lower end of the table standard and the clamping disk carried thereby; Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the attachment arranged in inoperative position; and Fig. 7 is a section similar to Fig. 4 showing a slightly modified form of the clamping member adapted for engagement upon a bed having angle side rails. Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of the upper end of the supporting standard and the tray.

Referring more particularly to the drawings 5 indicates a metallic bed which may be of any approved construction. In Fig. 1 of the drawings there is illustrated a bed having the cylindrical side rails 5. Upon one of the side rails my improved table attach ment is adapted to be arranged. This attachment is secured to the side rail of the bed in the following manner: A clamping member 6 is provided which is formed in two sleeve sections hinged together, as shown at 7. These sleeve sections are adapted to embrace the rail of the bed and are each formed with a flange 8 through which a set screw 9 is threaded. As the set screw is adjusted, the sections are drawn together until they securely bind upon the rails and all liability of longitudinal or rotative movement of the clamp is obviated. One of these sleeve sections 6 carries a plate 10 which may either be integrally formed therewith or may comprise a separate element. This plate is of a general circular form and is provided upon its face with a circular series of lugs or teeth 11. This plate is also formed with an arm or extension 12 which extends above the rail of the bed. A clamping disk 13 is adapted to be disposed over the face of the plate 10 and is formed upon one side with the annular teeth or serrations 14 which are adapted to engage with the teeth 11 on the plate 10, whereby the plate and disk are locked together, rotativc movement of said disk being thus prevented. The disk and plate are each provided with a central screw threaded opening in which a clamping screw 15 is adapted to engage. This screw is formed in two sections hingedly connected, as shown at 16, whereby after the disk 13 has been locked upon the plate 10, the outer section of the screw may be swung downwardly so as to dispose the same out of the way. The disk 13 is carried by the standard 17 which supports the table. This standard may be either cylindrical or rectangular in form and its lower end is preferably tapered and disposed between the spaced cars 18 formed upon the face of the plate 13. The standard is pivotally mounted between these cars on the pin 19 which connects the same. A screw 20 is threaded through the lower end of the standard and has engagement in the vertical arm 12 of the plate 10 formed upon the clamping sleeve. Thus, it will be seen that when the clamping member has been properly secured upon the bed rail, and the disk 13 locked in engagement upon'the plate 10 by adjusting the clamping screw 15,

the supporting standard 17 may be rigidly secured by tightening the screw 20 whereby said standard will be held upon the face of the disk 13 and the arm 12 against outward pivotal movement. The standard 17 is of L-shaped form, or in other words, has its upper end laterally extended, as shown at 17 the extremity of which is reduced or flattened, as at 21, and is provided with an aperture 22.

The table proper, as shown in the drawings, is in the form of a shallow rectangular tray 23, but it will be understood that this table may be made in a variety of different forms, and in itself comprises no part of the present invention. The connection between the table and the supporting standard is secured through the medium of a bar or shank 24 which is formed in two sections hingedly connected, as shown at 25. The lower shank section has an arm 26 formed on its lower end and extending at right angles to said shank. This arm is adapted to be secured to the bottom of the table or tray 23 and provides a substantial support for the same. The other of the shank sections is formed with a reduced screw threaded end 27 which is adapted to be positioned through the aperture 22 in the end of the supporting standard 17. A wing nut 28 is adapted to engage with the threads upon the shank and has binding engagement upon the flattened surface 21 of the end of the standard, whereby the table and standard may be rigidly connected and the table or tray held against relative movement. The tray may also be rotatably suspended from the end of the supporting standard by loosening the wing nut 28, the threaded end of the shank 2 being loosely disposed through the arm of the standard.

When the device is no longer desired for use, the clamping screw 15 is loosened so that the teeth of the disk 13 and the plate 10 may be disengaged. The nut 20 is then loosened to disconnect the standard from the arm 12, when said standard may be swung outwardly from the side of the bed between the cars 18 formed on the disk. The stand ard is then swung downwardly toward the floor and the disk rotated upon the clamping screw 15. Upon this downward movement of the standard, the tray or table 28 will swing inwardly against the lateral arm 17 thereof, such movement of the tray being permitted by the hinged shank 24c. The standard and tray are then swung inwardly toward the bed until the tray is disposed beneath the bed and upon the bottom of the bed spring. The clamping screw 15 is now tightened to again engage the teeth of the disk 13 and the plate 10, thus again locking the standard against movement. In order to support the end of the standard and the table and thus prevent undue strain upon the clamping disk and the attaching member, I provide a chain 29 one end of which is secured to a ring 30 movable upon the standard, the other end of said chain having a snap or hook secured thereto. Thus after the standard has been positioned under the rail of the bed, the chain may be passed around the rail and the snap engaged with the ring, said chain thereby supporting the weight of the free end of the standard and the tray.

In Fig. 7 there is illustrated a slight modification of the clamping member which is particularly adapted for use upon beds having angular side rails. In this form a substantially L-shaped member 31 is employed, the longitudinal edges of which are flanged, as shown at 32. The lower inwardly extending flange carries a screw 33 which is adapted to be adjusted into binding engagement with the lower edge of the angular rail of the bed. The adjustment of this screw will draw the horizontally disposed flange of the member 31 down upon the top of the rail whereby said member will be rigidly socured in position.

From the foregoing it is believed that the construction and operation of my improved table attachment will be readily understood.

The device is simple, convenient, and easily and quickly operated. It is particularly designed for use in hospitals and other places where tables are temporarily arranged for use and by means of my device the table may be readily disposed of.

The construction of the various parts may be greatly modified whereby the device may be rendered adaptable to numerous purposes. Such minor changes may be made without materially departing from the essential features or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

1. An attachment of the character described comprising a clamping member adapted for engagement upon the rail of a bed, a plate formed on said member, a disk adjustably mounted upon said plate, means for locking the disk thereon, a standard pivotally supported at one end upon the face of said disk, a screw carried by the standard to engage said plate and rigidly secure the standard against pivotal movement on the disk, the upper end of said standard being laterally extended, a depending shank pivoted to the extended end of the standard, and a table movably carried by said shank whereby the standard is adapted to swing downward and be disposed beneath the bed l rail, said table moving inwardly against the lateral extension of the standard.

2. An attachment of the character described comprising a clamping member adapted for engagement upon the rail of a bed, a disk rotatably mounted upon said member means for locking said disk and member together, spaced ears formed upon the disk, a standard pivoted between said 5 e ars, means rigidly connecting said standard and clamping member, the upper end of said standard being laterally extended, a shank formed in two hinged sections, the upper end of the shank being pivotally secured to said laterally extended portion of the standard, and a table secured to the lower end of the shank whereby the standard is adapted to swing downward and be disposed beneath the bed rail and the table is adapted to swing inward toward and against the lateral extension of the standard.

3. An attachment of the character described comprising a clamping member adapted to be engaged upon the rail of a bed, a disk ad- 2 justably mounted upon said member, means for locking the disk thereon, a standard pivotally mounted upon the face of said disk at one end, means carried by the standard engaging the clamping member to rigidly secure said standard in a vertical posit-ion above the bed rail, the upper end of said standard being laterally extended, said standard being movable downwardly and outwardly from the bed rail and adapted to be disposed beneath the same, a table movably suspended from the outer end of the lateral extension of said standard and adapted to move inwardly against the same when said standard is disposed beneath the bed rail, and a chain carried by said standard and adapted to be passed around the bed rail to support the standard in its inoperative position.

In testimony whereof I hereuntoafiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED LUTHER LIGHTNER. lVitnesses D. J. R. STRAYER, E. L. \VEAVER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

